


Unsub? Or Idsub?

by hkl_129



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Complete, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:08:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25891102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hkl_129/pseuds/hkl_129
Summary: The team is handed a case that forced them to arrest one of their own. How will the team handle the situation?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

Arriving at the warehouse, they immediately know that their suspect would be watching, how they don't know, but it fits the profile - high functioning, narcissistic behavior, basically a control freak. They quickly separated into groups and entered, clearing every room until there is only one left. They started moving in together, one signaling to the other that they have got them covered. As they neared the suspect, they moved as one to the remaining room, closer... closer... closer...

There, in the center of the room, is Jessica Patterson, the most recent victim. They knew in their guts even if she was only reported missing, and no body is found, that she will be dead before they have a chance to save her. And here is the proof, the latest victim. As they examined the scene before them, they noticed the familiar phone tied to her hands, and gasped in shock.

It can’t be....

* * *

As she was lead into the interrogation room, the glint in her eyes made the team shiver involuntarily, it was chilling to the core, and not for the first time since the case lead them to her, they thought, how did they not noticed it before?

They let her sit in the interrogation room, alone, staring right into their eyes behind the viewing room, she smiled, it wasn’t the warm smile they were used to, it was cold, seemingly unfitting to her usually soft features. “Apply pressure” as the BAU always did with unsubs that doesn’t seem fazed by the arrest, letting her sit alone in the cold, distant room, hoping that it will make her uncomfortable, or maybe it’s for them to have time to figure out how did this happen. But after 30 minutes of watching her through the viewing window, her demeanor still haven’t changed a bit, and instead of making her uncomfortable, it only made the team more uneasy. Finally, they couldn’t take it anymore, two of them entered the room, quickly sitting themselves right across her.

“Finally decided to come in, did you? You know Hotch, you taught me all these little tricks, I expected you to know me enough to realize that your little ‘pressure’ strategy won’t work on me, but then again, maybe that’s the problem, you don’t know me well enough.” She said excitedly as she fiddled with her hair looking at him right in the eyes, but when met with his famous stoic response, she continued “Morgan on the other hand,” as she turned her gaze onto him “I expected you to be a little more creative, guess I was wrong.” She leaned back on her chair as she looked at them expectantly.

Hotch silently slid a photo across the desk, and she glanced at it. _Jessica Patterson_. Her most recent victim. “Ohhhhh, starting off easy, are we?” she looked up that the two agents across from her, raising her eyebrows, and when none of them spoke, she continued “Yea, that was me. Shot her 3 times in the chest, she was a quickie, wasn’t much fun.”

“Fun? How could killing somebody be fun?” Derek couldn’t contain his temper any longer, banged his fists down on the table

“Oh but it is, not as fun as hearing them scream though.” She said as she pretended to pick her nails.

“Enough.” Hotch decided to end that discussion right then, and slid another photograph across the table.

“Upping the game... Aren’t we clever?” She taunted as she continued “Suicide. They never questioned it anyways.” and left it at that.

But Morgan wanted answers, “Suicide? Suicide? You killed her!”

“Actually I didn’t, she wanted to die herself.” She looked defiantly at him right in the eyes, and Morgan shivered, those usually warm eyes is now filled with a coldness that he had never expected to be there.

Stunned into silence, Hotch placed another photo in front of her. _Paul Curtis._ And as soon as she say the photo, she exclaimed “Yay!! Now that is what I call excitement!!” as she rubbed her hands together like a little girl high on sugar. “He would probably be one of the top ones I’ve ever did!!”

Shaking their heads, both agents don’t understand how someone could be this excited about having _murdered_ another human being. They analyze killers on a daily basis, for god’s sake, and still, they can’t understand how this is possible. Sickened by the enthusiasm she can show towards the unspeakable acts she committed, they can’t take it anymore at the moment, both agents gathered the photos and exited the room.

Before the door closed however, they heard her cheer and said to their backs, “That was fun!! Let’s do it again sometime!”

As the team resumed their positions outside the interrogation room, all of them were in shock. How could this happen? Looking through the window, the team saw her piercing eyes staring directly at them, she knows, that they will be standing right behind the window, and love every second of imagining the shock and confusion set in every one of their faces.


	2. Chapter 2

It was exhilarating to send the team on a wild goose chase, while she sit back in her chair waiting for the team to come back from the warehouse. Everything is going according to the plan. They would know soon enough. Profilers. Their profile was dead on, but nobody knew about those traits in her, so she have to go the extra mile to show them step by step, that it was her all along.

She looked down at her watch. By now, the team should have found the victim already, along with the phone in her hands. She probably still have about 10 minutes before the team is back to escort her to the interrogation room, so she just sat in her seat, waiting for it to happen.

Her plan is now set in motion, and soon she will be having the time of her life.

* * *

They spent the next 15 minutes looking through the observation window, but she just sat there, whistling to herself, looking extremely relaxed for a person being charged with multiple accounts of murder. They know the profile, that the suspect would a classic narcissist, but none of that seem to apply to her, well, to the version of her they knew anyway. Shaking the disturbed feeling they have, Hotch and Morgan entered again, hoping to gain more insight as to what the hell is going on with their colleague. However when they entered this time, she didn’t say anything like the first time, but instead kept on whistling to herself and playing with her fingers, she have an entirely different idea than what they had in mind.

They sat down in front of her, and still she didn’t raise her head or acknowledge their presence like the first time. They looked at each other, then back at her, when Hot h started placed another photo on the table again, but still no response.

Morgan was the one who spoke up first this time, “You recognise her?” And that is when she finally landed her eyes on the photo in front of her. Natasha Connelly. Now that was an interesting one, and she responded him with a quirked eyebrow. “What you did you do to her?”

“No.”

“No? No what? No, she didn’t matter so you killed her? Or no, you didn’t kill her?”

“No.”

Hotch, being much more level headed than Morgan, stepped in before Morgan can loose his temper again because she didn’t provide a more detailed answer. “Natasha Connelly, age 34, abducted from the back of her car in a parking lot outside a grocery store, COD is 3 gunshot wounds, one to the head and the other to both sides of her chest, her body found in an alleyway.” He placed another photo on the table and continued, “Jeannette Smith, age 47, found dead inside her car, COD also 3 gunshot wounds, one to each hand and the fatal shot to the heart.”

He looked at her and see her eyes shifting between the two photos, then looked into his eyes and raised an eyebrow, and she said “You already know.” But that only made Hotch even more confused, he had no idea what she suppose he knew, but gave no indication to her that he was confused, instead collecting the pictures in front of her and replaced them with two others.

But Morgan was having none of it, looking between her and Hotch, he exclaimed, “What does he know? What does she mean you already know? You already know what?”

“Calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down, Hotch. Are you going to tell me what she meant? Did I miss something here?”

“It’s something between the two of us, we need to focus back on this.”

“The two of you.” He looked at him in disbelief, “Our world just got turned upside down because we found out that one of our team members is actually a serial killer, and you are still protecting her.”

“Agent Morgan, you need to calm down this second, we’ll deal with this later.” Morgan shook his head and slid back onto his chair.

“Good boy.” She chuckled, and Morgan hands turned into fists under the table.

Hotch pointed back to the photo on the table, “Sheriff Miller, we were invited to hep him solve a case in Ohio, he was found dead 3 weeks later, hung in his own home but no gunshot wounds, why the change in M.O.?” She only responded with a tilt of her head and a disturbing smirk on her face.

Hotch and Morgan are ready to explode, but a knock on the door disrupted the quiet but tense atmosphere, and all three of the occupants looked to the door as Rossi poked his head inside, “I have something.” And the two agents took one look at her before heading back out again.

* * *

When the door closed behind them, Morgan rounded on Hotch, “You want to tell me what the hell was that?”

“When I said calm down, I mean it. The only reason I didn’t tell you what she meant is because I actually didn’t know. I wasn’t about to let her know that, but now that you insisted on dealing with it inside the room, I’m not sure if she realised I have no idea what she is talking about.”

A voice from the intercom alerted them, “Hotch, tell him, it’s only a matter of time before they find out.”

And Morgan once again exploded on Hotch, “What is it? What is she talking about!?! You better start explaining now or...”

But before Hotch can give a retort of his own, Rossi put his hand up and shouted loud enough to cover both of their voices. “Enough, now is not the time for us to be going against each other. She could be doing this only to break apart the team.” Seeing guilty looks on both their faces, he continued, “How about we take a break from interrogating her and look back at what we have so we can come back here when we aren’t letting emotions run our interrogation?”

Seeing both nod, they started to head to the main area where everything was set up, but before they were out of earshot, she said “See you in here next time, Rossi!” And laughed at the observation window just imagining their shocked looks glancing back at her.


	3. Chapter 3

They saw her sitting in one of the chairs in the conference room, twiddling her thumbs as she patiently waited for them to approach her. She turned to face them when she heard their footsteps approaching, and hold out both her hands with a cold, calculating smile on her face.

“Hey guys,” She greeted them, “guess your profile was slightly wrong hmm? And I see you found my phone!”

She is allowing herself to get arrested, even though she had plenty of time to run away. The team couldn’t stand to watch her as the officer cuffed her, since they didn’t have the heart to do it themselves, they couldn’t believe that she was behind all of this, but just the fact that she was expecting to get arrested is enough to lead them to know, in their heart, that this is indeed happening.

They looked at her as she was lead down the hall to the interrogation room, she looked as if she was not only expecting this, but enjoying it too, and that is what confused the team the most.

* * *

They looked at the investigation board together with all the victims’ pictures on it, each kill presents to be efficient killings, straight forward, but what is so different about this case was that each kill seem to have a specific reason, and until they found that reason, they would not understand her motive at all.

“Okay, so if she is not going to continue talking, we need to use a new interrogation tactic.” Rossi wisely told the team, “I have an idea, how about let me try something?”

“She practically asked for you the last time we hear her talk in the interrogation room, if you go in now, isn’t playing right into her hands?” Morgan, now much calmer than before asked him.

“Yes, but we need to give her something in order to gain something from her.” Hotch, trusting Rossi, made the motion for him to go ahead, so he entered the room and sat right across from her.

“What was your childhood like?”

“So I see Hotch and Morgan finally gave up the tough FBI agents method?” She smirked at him.

But he just ask her again, “What was your childhood like?”

“But I guess I did ask for you the last time I spoke at the window,” gesturing to the observation glass, “so I shouldn’t be surprised to see you here instead of them.” She glanced at him, “Although I will say that I am surprised Morgan let you come in here, seeing that I practically asked for you? With the whole ‘we can’t give them what they expect so to gain information’ act?” She started tapping her fingers on her chin, “Or maybe because the great David Rossi thinks he is exempt from this presumption.”

He almost lost it for a moment, but calmed himself down and repeated the question “What was your childhood like?”

“Rossi,” she sighed, “you know that I know these questions about my childhood are only to let you know how I became the person I am today, and what on earth possessed you to think that I would give up those answers that quickly?”

“Oh I don’t know, maybe because an excellent agent once told me that my books about being in the BAU is what inspired her to be an agent herself, and she was one of the best agents I’ve ever seen in my career.”

“And now, you are back to wondering if your books are creating more harm than good?”

“Well, as someone very wise insisted to me before that there will be bad people whether I write my books or not, but my books encouraged a lot of people to help others.

“Is that so? Has it ever occurred to you that the world doesn’t revolve around the great David Rossi? Not everything happens because of what you did.”

She hit his nerve, but he has dealt with countless worse unsubs, so Rossi took a deep breath to calm himself down, and asked the first question a little differently. “Were you abused as a child?”

“Rossi, seriously, even I know that every single thing I do or say will contribute to my profile where it can be used against me in court, it actually doesn’t take a genius to be a profiler.” She looked at him, bored out of her mind, this was not as exciting as she had initially thought. A thought appeared in her mind, surely that might spice things up. “How about I make you a deal? You answer one of my questions and I’ll answer one of yours?”

Rossi contemplated this, the team did need answers, but he also didn’t know what to expect she would ask, she has already proven to be very different than the person they thought they knew, but he also know how to dodge and avoid questions from his years of experience. And really, anything she is willing to give up now will be great considering she hasn’t admitted to anything since the very first interrogation. Deciding to take the plunge, he responded, “Okay.”

“Great!” Rubbing her hands as her eyes sparkle with excitement, she leaned forward. “And no lying, no dodging, and no avoiding either!” She smirked at him, “Please… do profile everything I do and say.” She chuckled at his involuntary shocked expression. “Let’s get started!! Hmm… Starting off easy… How could you not have profiled your first wife, Carolyn, that she had had enough, before she left you for good?”

Great. That was easy, he couldn’t imagine what hard would be like. “Well, I was trained to profile serial killers, guess I was too caught up with my job, and forgot about her.”

She smiled as she took in his answer.

He shook his head, trying to forget the painful feeling when he came home that day and found out she packed her bags and left. And Hotch listened to the conversation outside the room, the all too familiar feeling of Haley and Jack leaving him because of the job just brings back too much, but Rossi’s question broke him from his thoughts.

“Now my turn, why did you kill all those people?” Getting straight to the point, wanting nothing but to end this little she was trying to play.

“Because they wanted it, deserved it. Also because I wanted it, and could do it.” She smiled at him and twirled her hair with her finger. “Now mine, let’s see… How does it feel knowing that I was both your greatest disappointment AND your greatest success?”

“I never said…”

“No lying, remember?” She interrupted.

He sighed, he really wanted to treat her like any other suspects he caught, but truth is, he can’t, and spoke while looking at his hands, “Honestly, a little unsteady and shaky, and I think the team is too.” He didn’t want the team to know this, but he had no choice, she saw right through him. He looked back up at her, and trying to sound confident, “But nothing we can’t overcome.”

“We’ll see about that.” She laughed.

“Guess so, now my turn. How did you hide all of this from us? How could you do that to your family?”

“First of all, that’s two questions. But since I’m feeling nice, I’ll let you choose which one you want me to answer instead of me picking either one or neither since you broke our agreement.” She raised her eyebrows and Rossi is immediately reminded of the strong agent he knew.

Deciding to save the second question for the next round, he spoke “The first one.”

“Okay…” she pretended to think for a moment, “There’s actually a large part of my life that you guys will never understand, and we all have our secrets. Right?” She looked into his eyes and saw the slight change of emotion, them looked directly behind him to the observation glass, where Morgan, Reid and Hotch all looked at the floor, uncomfortably shifting their feet.

“Your turn.” Rossi gestured to her to bring her back to their conversation.

“Nope, I only have 2 questions.” She smirked at him. “You, big time profiler, should’ve anticipated enough to ask for the details of our deal before agreeing to it.”

Sensing that he wouldn’t get much out of her now that she doesn’t want to play her little game anymore, he stood up and walked out of the interrogation room.

* * *

As the door closed behind him, he held up his hands to stop the other occupants to say anything before he does, “I think we have a little more than what we had before.” Seeing their confused faces, he continued, “We already know that she likes to have control, and her game just now proved that, but from the way that she talks to each of us is like she is intentionally provoking each of us, except Reid, for now. And it was like she planned for herself to get caught, she wanted it to happen.”

“Maybe she just got tired to running?” Morgan suggested.

“Maybe. But I feel like there is something, I don’t know… I mean, she could’ve easily gotten away, and kept up her facade, but she purposefully left her phone to let us know it was her… but why?”

“Hey guys?” Her voice came from the interrogation room. “I think you should go back to the warehouse and maybe you can find some answers there instead of asking me pointless questions.”

How the bloody hell can she predict that they were having this conversation at this very second is beyond them, but she is indeed right, they never took the time to profile the warehouse, too distracted by her phone being there and hurrying back to confirm it.

“You really believe we can bounce back from this?” Reid spoke in a distraught voice as they walked.

“Yes I do, Spencer. I really believe you can overcome this.” He spoke to him in a warm tone, as if comforting a child.


	4. Chapter 4

As they neared the warehouse for the second time this night, each member lost in their own thoughts, it seemed personal for her that she provoked each male member of the team, and although she haven’t talked to Reid yet, they’re sure it will come up soon.

The warehouse, as they neared, was taped off, but other than that, the area seemed to be deserted. They have already requested the police to leave the room as it is, with the exception of having the coroner take Jessica Patterson, the latest victim, to the Medical Examiner. They entered the warehouse for the second time today, reached the room they found the latest victim, and started to examine the room, looking for anything that they could find. There, scattered across the room in very organized piles, are several files, and they each went up to pick a random one to look through them. They were sure it wasn’t there the first time they were there, maybe it’s the shock of the victim and the phone.

In each file, organized meticulously, are the details of how each kill is executed, with blueprints, surveillance photos, financial records, and most important of all, the police reports and search records of each investigation. Although all these files show are more evidence that she indeed is associated with each murder. But what shocked them the most was the signed contracts and letters in the file.

* * *

As soon as they got back from the warehouse with the files they found, Hotch, Morgan and Rossi, burst through the doors to the interrogation room, Reid hanging by the observation room, too caught up in his own feelings to be able to face the truth staring right at him.

“I see you’ve found the files,” starting as she saw them walk through the doors, “those aren’t the only ones, you know?”

“You forged our signatures in those files!” Morgan is ready, probably for the first time in his whole life, to pound on an unarmed women.

“Uh... I actually didn’t, those are your own signatures and writing in there, you actually signed and write those things, so I actually didn’t do anything, wish I could say the same about you guys.” she shook her head dramatically, “Now that I think about it, it really is masterpiece, I knew that being an FBI agent would give be amazing, even more so by being in the BAU, but I never imagined this. You guys should really reflect when they detain you.” she smiled at them, “or you could explain this to Chief Strauss, who by now, is already scrambling to sort out this mess.”

Hotch, being a prosecutor, interrupted her before she can provoke the other two any more, “I think that by reviewing this interview will have a lot of influence on the jury.”

“Oh? And am I going to be used as a teaching aid too, Rossi?” Referring to the time he got Professor Rothschild to confess on tape. “I’ll take my lawyer and phone call now.” And they know that there is nothing they can do once a suspect lawyers up.

“Why?” Morgan couldn’t help but ask, because she was like a sister to him, and they all turned back to face her, looks of betrayal lining their faces.

“That is the question, isn’t it?” She said as she tapped her finger on her chin, as if contemplating her answer, “But shouldn’t your great profiling skills already give you an answer to that?” she raised her brows, questioning them. “Or shouldn't Spence the genius have it already figured out?” She pointed to the left side of the observation window, exactly where Reid stood.

* * *

They huddled together in the area outside the interrogation room, pouring over the files they have collected from the warehouse, trying to find something that explains this.

Now they have multiple problems, first one is that the scene at the warehouse was staged, meaning they wouldn’t find much there, so they have got to go back to every little detail in the files to figure something out.

Second is that they are being framed, and although Hotch tried to sound confident back in the interrogation room that the interview tape would prove their innocence, they are in fact not actually sure, the tape only shows that she knew about the files, but it was their signature and their handwriting in those files that points all logic and evidence to them.

Third, is that they were pretty sure that when they arrived at the warehouse, the room was empty except for the victim there with her phone clutched in her fist, there were no files. And with Reid having an eidetic memory, they are sure that the files weren’t there. But from the events that happened that day, they aren’t very sure. It could go both ways, if they are certain the room was empty except for the victim, then there is a possibility of a partner, which opens another can of worms. But if they just missed that the first time, they still have the second problem to deal with.

And on top of all that, they are racing against time, time that they don’t have, racing against the police as well as Chief Strauss, and from past experience, they already know that this is not going to be easy, but they have faced harder situations than this, they just have to persevere.

They sighed and rubbed their fingers against their temples, willing the growing headache to go away, this case is not only emotionally exhausting because it turned out that one of their own is the suspect, who they firmly believe is guilty, but also intellectually draining, because of situations that forced them to question their own minds, and frankly, it is starting to make them go crazy.

An alarm blaring around the BAU interrupted them, signaling an emergency, and with Garcia hurrying to the huddled group around the board, they knew something is definitely very wrong.


	5. Chapter 5

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!” Garcia muttered to herself as the security footage displaying on one of her many screens suddenly loudly beeped and turned static, alerting her of a security threat. Followed by that are the loud alarms blaring into the BAU as she hurried to the bullpen to find the team. “Sir!!! There’s been a security threat!! The cameras surrounding the interrogation room is not working anymore!!”

And with that, it only took a moment for them to break out of their shocked trance to rush to the interrogation room to find the two Marshalls outside knocked out unconscious and the door wide open. In the room is one neatly placed envelope on the table, but JJ is no longer cuffed to the desk, she is missing entirely. And now, the only viable lead they have are some files they found back at the warehouse, which couldn’t be of much use since it was superbly staged, and the envelope on the table. So, ignoring the blaring noise that would trigger most people’s flight response, they opened the envelope on the table.

Hi team,

By now, you should have been alerted by the building that there is a security breach, and I most likely already escaped from your custody, and judging by you reading this letter instead of leaving the building, I will give you credit for staying to fight. I have left a little present for each of you on your desk, I promise they will come in handy. Chase me! Morgan and Spence, tell the team to find me at the place where I fooled you guys about. I’ll be waiting!

JJ

“She’s by the edge of the woods!” Reid, having finished the letter earlier than them, remembered the incident where JJ told Morgan and him about why she was afraid of the woods. The team quickly rushed towards the stairs together, until…

“Wait! What about the things she left on our desk?” Garcia piped up, stopping the team as they turned to look at her incredulously.

“Baby girl, she is about to get away, and if we spend more time here than out there, then we have to start all over again.” And with that the team, with the exception of Garcia, quickly resumed rushing down the stairs and out the fire escape that leads to the wooded area behind the building.

The took their guns out, preparing for any surprise attacks and moving forward as one, looking back and forth to each other, until…

* * *

“Hands up where I can see them!” They heard someone shout through the dark as they looked to the opposite area to see if they had seen JJ, but instead, they found flashlights and guns pointed at them as SWAT officers surrounded them. “Put your weapons down and then slowly raise your hands to where we can see them.”

“We’re Federal Agents! We have our badges with us!” Hotch replied as the SWAT officers closed in on them.

“We know who you are, now lower your weapons!” The commanding officer shouted back.

“This is a mistake.” Hotch tried again.

“Now!” The commanding officer shouted forcefully.

Morgan, Rossi and Reid looked to Hotch, and having seen no other choice, Hotch nodded his head and the four of them dropped their guns onto the floor and held their hands in the air as the SWAT officers approached them and tell them to turn around while they put handcuffs on them.

“Agents Hotchner, Rossi, Morgan, and Reid. You are under arrest for orchestrating the kidnapping and murder of 87 victims, and for framing Agent Jareau.” The commanding officer told them as they glanced the surrounding area and saw JJ’s usually blue eyes turned ice cold and pierced through the dark straight to them, a chilling look on the part of her face that is visible where she hid behind the bushes, and an involuntary shiver went through their spines as she disappeared into the woods while they were each lead back into the building and into separate interrogation rooms.

* * *

Aaron Hotchner kept his stoic demeanour as he was left in the interrogation room, he thought about the last letter left in the room from JJ, she had predicted that the team would go out running after her, and now he couldn’t believe how stupid he had been, having not see through her tactic immediately.

The opening of the door alerted him of another occupant entering the room, and it is none of than Section Chief Erin Strauss, and although Hotch disliked her with a passion, he knows very well that she and the Director wanted nothing but for this mess to be over, but before he could even start to speak, she held up her hand and said, “Aaron Hotchner, you are being charged with orchestrating 87 murders, and for framing Agent Jareau. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?” He nodded, he is all too familiar with this speech anyways. “With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?” He nodded again. “We have sufficient evidence that you, alongside Agents Rossi, Morgan and Reid, in fact planned and executed those murders, do you have anything to say?”

“I’m being framed.”

“By who?”

“Jennifer Jareau.”

“You are telling me, that Agent Jennifer Jareau is framing you?” She raised an eyebrow, “The person who you arrested with a profile that doesn’t fit her and no evidence against is actually framing you?” He nodded, desperately trying to convince her, “And all the files we found in the conference room you four trying to hide in the BAU is actually evidence against you?”

“Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but I know she is framing us.”

“Oh, it doesn’t sound crazy at all, it sounds barbaric. Agent Hotchner, this is no way to go out.” She sighed, “If you tell us everything, we’ll tell the court you cooperated, and maybe you will have a lesser sentence.”

Realising that he is now backed into a corner, probably the best way is to keep his head down. For now. “I’ll take my lawyer now.”

* * *

In the room beside Hotch, sat David Rossi, the old and experienced profiler is very shaken up, and that is saying something. He thought he saw everything there is about criminal profiling, and he had his fair share of catching unsubs within the law enforcement, but one being in the team? That is just too much, even for him. He had been honest with JJ when he answered her question that he was shaken, but he left out the part where a devil in his mind told him that he is in fact a little proud about how JJ has evaded the profilers for that long, even though it is disappointing that she ended up using that knowledge for the wrong reasons, whatever those reasons were.

As Erin Strauss finished his interrogation with Hotch and entered the next room, and before she could even sit down, David Rossi spoke “Thank god you’re here, Erin! We’re being framed!”

Erin Strauss sat down in front of him and opened her file, giving him the same speech she gave Hotch, while Rossi looked at her incredulously. “With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?”

“Erin, you’ve got to believe us! We are being framed!” He almost pleaded her.

“Is that so?” She played along.

“Jennifer Jareau.”

“Again with trying to frame Agent Jareau. All evidence points to you four being involved, and there was also documents detailing on how the four of you were going to frame Agent Jareau.” She told him forcefully.

Rossi, like Hotch, realised that they were backed into a corner, took the same wise decision back backed down. They would have to wait to plan their exoneration. “I’ll take my phone call now.”

* * *

In another room is Derek Morgan, the most hard-headed of them all, he wanted to punch something, how the hell could he have not seen any of this happening? This whole situation is so fucked up that he couldn’t even explain to himself. Now, he had been in a similar situation as this before, in Chicago, and he was sure that even through that case proved he was innocent, he is not sure this would be the same.

Someone entering the room made him raise his head, and saw Erin Strauss entering, he immediately exploded “You better have a damn good reason to detain us here, we did nothing wrong!”

“Really? You mean to tell me 87 murders is nothing wrong?” She raised her eyebrow, and Morgan gasped in surprise, and stuttered incomprehensible words, before falling back in his chair with a defeated sigh, listening to the speech given to Hotch and Rossi. “With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?”

“I didn’t do any of those!” He insisted.

“We have multiple evidence including surveillance footage and detailed planning documents that points to you working with Agents Hotchner, Rossi and Reid to execute these murders.” She explained to him as she placed the evidence in front of him.

“I have nothing to do with those, you are here interviewing me rather chasing the suspect who actually killed all those people.” He almost shouted at her.

“Agent Morgan, weren’t you detained in Chicago on multiple accounts of murder as well?”

“I was exonerated, and they caught the real killer. And this has nothing to do with that!” That was low of her to bring that up.

“But you do have a juvie record.”

“I changed.”

“Righhht.” She drawled out, “Why don’t you start cooperating so this can be better for the two of us?”

“No, I will not admit to something I didn’t do.” He is not going to back down.

She leaned forward, “Help us, to help you.”

“Then you will need to talk to Jennifer Jareau, she is the one who orchestrated this whole thing.” He slammed his hand on the table in front of him.

“We have sufficient verification that Agent Jareau is innocent.”

“She is not innocent, just look at her behaviour when we interviewed her!” He shouted at her.

“Then explain to me how she could have done this? When she was in your custody the whole time?” She tilted her head, curious what he had to say.

Her words struck through him live millions of knives, and the truth hit him hard, he have no idea how the hell JJ did this, but he is certain that she did. Dejected, he sighed, he’ll exact revenge on a long shot, he couldn’t do that now with all the evidence against him, and this time, his team couldn’t help him because most of them were in the same position as him. “I don’t know, but I know she did this, I am 100% certain it’s her.”

* * *

Spencer Reid is the only one detained who isn’t thinking about angry thoughts. He closed his eyes and kept going back in his mind about how this could have happened. JJ is his best friend, he confided almost anything to her, and up until yesterday, he thought she did too. His journey into his mind reminded him of the letter JJ left, she said something about her leaving a present for each of them, and he wondered what those might be.

The door opening broke him out of his trance, and Erin Strauss walked in, he has always been a little scared of the woman, although she usually ignores him. She sat down in front of him and he gave her a curt nod of acknowledgement while waiting for her to begin. She repeated the same speech she did with the previous three, “With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?”

“I do.” He responded quickly.

“Agent Reid, you are being charged with 87 murders, and if you tell us everything from the planning to the execution to framing Agent Jareau, we will tell the court you cooperated.” She told him softly.

Reid looked at her incredulously. First, he found out that his very best friend, the person nicest to him actually killed all those people, then he is being framed and arrested, and now finding out that he is being framed for murder and framing his best friend? This is completely insane. “That is not true at all, JJ is my very best friend, I would never do that to her, and even though I didn’t want to believe that she did all those horrible things, I think she did it. Even though I don’t have the proof now, I can prove this is her all along.”

She leaned forward, “Do tell, Agent Reid. How did she do all this while in your custody?”

“I… d…don’t.. know.” He stuttered.

“And you think she did it, when you don’t have the evidence and don’t know how she did it?” She stressed the words.

“I..I..I…” For the first time in his life, he is speechless, his brain cannot comprehend the weight of JJ’s betrayal while being overdrive to figure this out.

“I thought so, stop trying to frame Agent Jareau, she is a great agent.” With that leaving Reid speechless, she left the room.

* * *

She entered the building the next day, smiling sweetly at everyone even though they scampered off whenever they see her approach, it may take some time for everyone to warm back up to her, but no hurry, she absolutely enjoyed the way people are scared of her. She entered the office and greeted the person behind the desk, as she rose from her chair and hugged her.

“Great work, Jennifer.” She said as she shook her hand, “You will be reinstated and promoted immediately, in fact, you will be the new BAU Unit Chief. Congratulations. We will celebrate more later.”

“Thanks, Erin.” They smiled at each other wickedly as she headed out of her office and into the BAU once again.

Sometimes, the bad guys win. And their execution was so flawless that justice can’t be served.


End file.
